+1 on the other "ade", the full spectrum of electrolytes puts it a notch above Gatorade. Any of those powdered electrolyte drinks that contain maltodextrin (Heed, Gu Brew) work better for me on the long runs, but they come at a cost over the cheaper "Ade" drinks so are rarely bought. All the races I run usually stock aid stations with all the expensive goodies, Gatorade is nowhere to be found.

Salt tablets like S-Caps seem like a better option than carrying around Gatorade powder on hikes, but you don't get that filtered water flavor maskimg if that's partially what you're after.

I do not like to drink sugary drinks in general. I tend to drink a diet or low-sugar drink instead just to make the water more palatable and if I need energy I eat something. I haven't gotten far enough into running to know how to handle that, however.

I've seen too many hikers with a thirst problem. They don't get thirsty enough, or at least there is poor perception of thirst. As a result, they get somewhat dehydrated before they do anything about it. As a result of dehydration, they get muscle cramps and weakness.

By adding a little something to your water, you can work around this. If it is purely electrolytes, then that will cause the water to stay in the muscle tissues better. If it is purely sugars, it will just give you quick energy. Maybe you want just a touch of both. The flavor will encourage you to drink it even if you don't think you are that thirsty.

it was wrongly stated that Gatorade doesn't have Potassium- it does (little more than Powerade actually), what it does have is about twice the Sodium though- which evidently some think is pretty important

"Doh! I already posted pedialyte in this thread. Sorry for the double, But i do see they make powder packs now."

If you are interested in Pedialyte, a much cheaper option is to buy oral rehydration salts from Jianis Brothers. They sell the official WHO rehydration formula used to rehydrate cholera/dysentery victims in ~1.1 oz packets. The formula is a combo of glucose, sodium compounds and potassium compounds. I used it for years, diluted to half strength and flavored with Crystal Lite. It works very well, but I have since switched to a 2 bottle system: one bottle of Perpetuem and one of plain water with Morton's Lite salt(1 liter with 3-4 grams of Morton's).

"Perpetuem contains a significant amount of sodium and potassium, why the addition of Morton's salt in bottle #2?"

The sodium(220 mg) is significant but not adequate for me over the course of 4 hours working hard at elevations around 11,000'. The potassium(75 mg) is insignificant in the context of an RDA of 3000 mg/day. The qualifier here is that 2 packets of Perpetuem are all I eat between breakfast and dinner, relying on body fat for the rest of my calories. The Morton's Lite salt provides ~370 mg of potassium and 280 mg of sodium per 1/4 tsp, and I add 1/4 tsp to a liter of water, which last me ~4 hours. I use 2 liters on a typical day, which provides ~740 mg of potassium and 560 mg of sodium in addition to that provided by the Perpetuem, enough to almost completely eliminate the cramps I used to get. YMMV.

Actually, I kind of like Cytomax. More importantly, I take a variety of these drink powders. When I tire of one flavor, I try another, then another. On a week-long trip, I probably go through 10 ounces of Gatorade, Cytomax, Powerade, Vitalyte, and my own custom-mixed stuff (maltodextrin, electrolytes, and a bit of flavor).

If I am walking downhill, I drink mostly water. If it is moderate uphill, then I drink half-strength sports drinks. If it is steep uphill, then I go to the straight stuff.

As a former endurance athlete I can testify that my observations of overuse and improper or no cutting of Gatorade with water has enabled me to witness more cases of mid-race and post race severe hypoglycemia than I care to remember. I don't touch the stuff. Plain, balanced electrolytes and as much water as you can drink periodically throughout the day and good nutrition is more than adequate for extended periods of high exertion.

"Caution, Rant Ahead"...The 'science' of Gatorade is greed based. All about $. That's it! There is no nutritional science involved. If there is, it is very flawed and they need new 'Scientists'I don't understand why all these nature lovers want to buy such a highly processed and toxic product containing such nasty stuff. IE..artificial colors are generally considered to be neurotoxins (among many other issues), yellow #5 is implicated in asthmatic reactions. The list of problems with artificial colors goes on and on... The sugar is largely High Fructose corn syrup, Google that and see how healthy your Gatorade is!!

"Like other sugary drinks on the market today, Gatorade uses brominated vegetable oil (BVO). BVO, used to increase fluidity and uniformity, is also used to create lead dissolving additives for gasoline, photographic paper films, fire-extinguishing materials, and agricultural fumigants. And if that wasn’t a call for alarm, more than 100 countries have outlawed the substance altogether."

Supposedly they recently removed this ingredient, but how can you trust a company (Pepsico) that would use it in the 1st place?? And why would one want to support Pepsico, destroyers of health worldwide?!

Also the sodium/potassium balance is all wrong for proper electrolyte usage by the body. There is WAY to much sodium. There should be aprox 3;1 ratio of potassium to sodium, Gatorade is about the opposite, this is not good for proper hydration!"An example of an inorganic substance is table salt. It is simply sodium and chloride. No enzymes, thus it is enzymatically inactive and the body cannot use it. Our bodies cannot attach an enzyme to inorganic substances (minerals), except at great cost to our health."

We all here want to go light, well what about our impact on the Earth herself? Do we not want a light footprint here too?? Supporting mega-corps is NOT helping!! Pepsico is destroying the very health and well being of peoples worldwide and the planet to boot.

To make my own, much better electrolyte drink. I prefer citrus (for potassium) and a 'small' pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt, (lot's of good minerals for the body). (table salt used by Gator is extremely bad for the body, and provides no nutrition and actually DE-hydrates at the levels contained therein) And a bit of honey. (also very nutritious compared to the sucrose/glucose/corn syrup sweetener of death)....

Some basic sodium info... "It is like this. Sodium is an important mineral in the body as it is responsible for sending the message from the brain to muscles through the nervous system so that your body will move its muscles on command. When you want to move your arm or any muscle in the body, the brain sends a message to a sodium molecule who passes it to a potassium molecule and then back to a sodium molecule etc., etc., until it gets to its final destination and the muscle moves. This is known as the sodium-potassium ion exchange. Therefore without sodium, you would never be able to move one muscle of your body.

Regardless, it is not common table salt that the body needs in order to sustain life. It is sodium. Sodium just happens to be an element in common table salt which is known as sodium chloride and that is where the confusion exists. Therefore, salt is not a necessary compound in order for the body to survive, but rather sodium is the necessary life sustaining element. Ironically, sodium is found in all plants so you are getting plenty of sodium everyday without even realizing it every time you eat a food that comes from a plant."

"An example of an inorganic substance is table salt. It is simply sodium and chloride. No enzymes, thus it is enzymatically inactive and the body cannot use it. Our bodies cannot attach an enzyme to inorganic substances (minerals), except at great cost to our health."

You're right about hydration being crucial, for sure. Have you read Kevin Sawchuck's recent BPL article on the subject? He's a relatively rare combination of physician and ultra runner, and his article is worth a look.